A ferocious thunderstorm that rolled through the area late Thursday afternoon forced the opening night of the A-Town Throwdown indoors and then some issues with two of the courts at Muhlenberg College prompted another move for the girls teams to nearby Allen High School.
The weather is expected to cooperate the rest of the weekend and the tournament will return to its home at Cedar Beach starting with a busy schedule on Friday night.
The changes of venue didn’t bother the Liberty girls basketball team, which tightened things up late in a 47-40 win over Bensalem in one of the first games of the four-day tournament that will feature nearly 100 high school teams in all.
Later in the night, the Hurricanes edged Audenried Charter from Philadelphia 41-40 toensure a berth in the single-elimination portion of the 20-team girls tournament on Sunday,
Liberty won the Catasauqua Summer League a few weeks ago and could be a factor this weekend under recently named head coach Jarrett Carnes Jr.
Carnes, the nephew of Liberty High great Odess Carnes, is looking to provide stability for a program that has gone through a lot of change.
Carnes is Liberty’s fifth coach since John Tone resigned in 2009 after 23 seasons. He replaces Andy Wescoe, who coached the past four years.
“It’s hard on the girls to have to get used to someone new after two or three years,” said Carnes, a 2011 Freedom High graduate who had been an assistant with the Kutztown High girls program for four years. “There is talent in that building. It’s up to me and my staff to get that talent out of them.”
Carnes, who played for Joe Stellato in high school and then collegiate ball at Penn State-Lehigh Valley, is trying to bring a positive attitude to a program coming off a 2-9 pandemic-plagued season.
He is trying to instill a positive attitude and his job is made easier with the more success his team earns in the summer. Liberty didn’t feature a senior on last year’s team, so there are plenty of experienced players working for better results.
“With the new coaching staff, we’ve received nothing but love and support,” said Erin Eisenhart, who joined Jessica Farrell with 11 points apiece. “The environment that Coach Carnes and the other coaches have created has really helped to boost our confidence and after a win like this people are really going to know Liberty’s name.”
Eisenhart said the younger players returning got a lot of experience last year and went through some growing pains. Now those players are ready to do some damage.
“As seniors we hope to lead and groom the younger players,” she said.
Farrell, who was the team’s leading scorer last season as a sophomore at 10.4 points per game, had the go-ahead basket in the win over Audenried.
Senior Tamia Bruce said the team’s emphasis is on defense and quality defense can spark the offense. Juniors Layla Orth and sophomore Emma Pukszyn, the daughter of Moravian University football coach Jeff Pukszyn, are also major contributors on a team that showed toughness on defense and bursts to the basket on offense.
“It all comes down to teamwork,” Bruce said.
Carnes has built a strong coaching staff that features former Freedom standouts Colie Calabrese and Jordan Young and ex-Saucon Valley player Deanna Radio.
“The girls are working hard and we’re trying to build something special,” Carnes said. “Winning the Catty League was a step forward for us and we’re looking to do well in this tournament. I am just proud to be a Hurricane.”
Ferocious Fermin
Because he has traveled the country on a prominent AAU team and participated in many elite events, Pocono Mountain West star Christian Fermin hasn’t spent a lot of time with his Panthers teammates.
But Fermin figures to be one of the top attractions in the A-Town Throwdown and West figures to be one of the local teams competing for a championship.
Fermin made his presence felt with double-doubles in wins over Palmerton and Boyertown.
“I thought we played about as well as we have played all summer, but Fermin is something special,” said Blue Bombers coach Ken Termini.
Fermin is looking forward to a big senior year in the northern part of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference after recently finalizing his future destination as VCU.
“Me committing has been huge,” Fermin said. “I’m more focused on just playing basketball and I’m no longer worried about college scouts. Entering my senior season I don’t have to worry about playing for anybody but myself. I can play the sport I love in its purest form.”
Fermin said he knew when he left VCU on his recruiting trip that he’d be back.
“I went on other visits because they were funding everything, but none of the other places were going to match up with VCU,” he said.
As for this weekend, Fermin knows he’ll have a lot of eyes on him.
“It’s great to be back with my team in an environment like this,” he said. “My AAU team is great, but it’s such a fun experience to be back playing with the people I grew up with. It’s actually easier for me to play in this environment than AAU. I love this because it gives me time to build my skills as a player.”
Executive edged by drive-by
In one of the best boys games of the night, Abington from District 1 got a driving basket at the buzzer from Darius Lucas to beat Executive Education 50-48.
Lucas finished with 19 points, while Jalil Schenck had 21 and Drexel commit Kobe Magee had 18 for the Raptors, who reached the finals of the last A-Town Throwdown in 2019.
Farrell free throw
In another of the night’s best boys games, Liberty edged Morris Hills 44-43 on a foul shot by Josh Farrell with one second left. Liberty bounced back after a lopsided loss to Coatesville earlier in the night.
“We were fighting all game against a team that was good and scrappy,” Farrell, a rising senior, said. “It was good to come out with a win. We’re having a good summer and trying to get better every day.”
Thursday’s scores
GIRLS RESULTS
Liberty 47, Bensalem 40.
Allen 27, Cedar Crest 25 … Shanaiya Ellis 9.
Pennsbury 53, Phillipsburg 17.
Executive Education 39, ES South 7.
Dunmore 50, Cedar Crest 17.
Audenried 53, Bensalem 43.
BOYS RESULTS
PM West 51, Palmerton 30 … Christian Fermin 16.
Northampton 60, Stroudsburg 29 … Isaac Harris 26.
Muhlenberg Twp. 53, Lincoln (Philly) 52 … Aymere Thomas 14.
North Hunterdon 33, Lehighton 31.
Lincoln Leadership 56, Panther Valley 41.
Notre Dame-ES 55, Panther Valley 28.
PM West 47, Boyertown 36 … Christian Fermin 26.
Coatesville 53 Liberty 32.
Abington 50, Executive Education 48.
Abington 43, Emmaus 40.
Coatesville 73, Morris Hills, NJ 65.
Liberty 44, Morris Hills, NJ 43.
Muhlenberg 42, Northampton 33.
Palmerton 37, Boyertown 35.
JV BOYS
Executive Education 37, Dieruff 34.
Friday’s varsity games
4 pm: Salisbury vs. Roberto Clemente boys; Allen vs. Dunmore girls; Jim Thorpe vs. Phillipsburg girls; Lincoln vs. Wilson girls.
5 pm: ACCHS vs. Phoenixville boys; CB West vs. St. John Vianney boys; Notre Dame-Green Pond vs. Souderton boys; Emmaus vs. ES South girls.
6 pm: Whitehall vs. Lower Merion boys; Southern Lehigh vs. Hempfield boys; ES North vs. Lancaster Mennonite boys; PM West vs. Reading girls.
7 pm: Dieruff vs. Notre Dame-Green Pond boys; Souderton vs. St. Benedict’s boys; Salisbury vs. N. Hunterdon, NJ boys; St. John Vianney vs. Octorara boys
8 pm: ACCHS vs. Southern Lehigh boys; Allen vs. PM East boys; Hatboro-Horsham vs. Dobbins boys; St. Joe’s Prep vs. ES North boys.
9 pm: Parkland vs. CB West boys; Sankofa vs. West Scranton boys; Lincoln Leadership vs. Brandywine boys; N. Hunterdon NJ vs. Roberto Clemente boys.
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